


Chained

by BarbieWire



Category: Immortals After Dark - Kresley Cole
Genre: F/M, Unhappy Ending, body anxiety, fat heroine, overweight heroine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2020-06-29 02:39:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19820833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbieWire/pseuds/BarbieWire
Summary: A Kresley Cole-Style story but without the happy end.Don't be scared, it's not that long, I just like to divide it into chapters. It's about half donea little sad lovestory-thoughtexperiment of mine.about bad self-image and how it destroys relationships I guess?





	1. Not like the others

**Author's Note:**

> If you have problems with negative talk about fat bodies - you might want to avoid this. It doesn't have an happy end. It's not soul crushing, but you know.  
> I don't want to criticise the IAD series or the author in any way, I actually quite enjoy the books, but the thought how the story would play out with someone who has servere anxiety issues is what intrigued me
> 
> And, as always, I apologize for my bad english, especially spelling and grammar, and I am happy to read your thoughts and feedback <3  
> How did it make you feel? Was it a good read or did I talk around too much - or too little?  
> Let me know :D

It was cool on this night in late summer. The worst of the heat was over and the evenings where accompanied by a cool breeze. Alice enjoyed this time of year, which was probably the reason why she agreed to go to this little gathering of vertas loreans in the fields of the bayou. She usually didn't have any business at these parties: she didn't drink whole barrels of alcohol, didn't dance or flirt and she surely wasn't up for games that could potentially get her bulldozed by a guy with the strength of a bus. And she certainly wouldn't take part in an orgy, or even witness one.

  
She let her gaze wander about the little grove, sipping her beer. It almost looked like a normal BBQ Party, if you didn't look too closely. There were horned people, almost all of them tall, strong and unearthly beautiful. This little gathering was organized by the leaders of the Vertas- Alliance to strengthen the bonds between all the different people it brought together: Lykae, Witches, Valkyrie, Fey, Forbearers and even some Demons were present. Considering that all the groups present were supernaturally strong fighters, and some even with very short tempers, this gathering remained almost civil. People ate and drank together - the Lykae brought food for about five armies with them - or danced and chattered with each other almost like normal people. There was a friendly footbal match going on and the Fey were playing cheery, if really old-fashioned music. Alice mused one of the reasons they all have been called together was that even more couples formed among the different groups to strengthen cross-species communication. The Valkyries had now strong ties to the Lykae since one of them is now Lykae Queen - it was certainly not a bad idea. And it already worked, some have already found each other, as far as she could tell. And more and more people were arriving as time passed. Alice stood among her kind - the witches - with all her sisters, and their husbands, or whatever they called it. There were Carrow with her demon-vampire hybrid Malcolm and Mari with her Lykae Bowen, they hardly separated, constantly touching, lauching together. They were so incredibly happy. Alice was so happy for both of them, and a little jealous, too. When the topic of immortal bonding first came to her attention, Alice thought that they were bullshitting her. Love on first sight, or, in the Lykae's case, rather first sniff, and boom: eternal bond of love. It sounded, in theory, almost too perfect to be true, in her opinion. A guy that wants you and just you? In most cases perfectly handsome with the sole purpose of providing for his mate? How could anyone say "no" to a gorgeous guy chasing you just so that he tend to your every need? She secretely dreamed of the day someone would see her and recognize her as his. A mysterious Vampire, an exotic Demon or maybe a wild Lykae? The thought had dominated her daydreams lately. In reality, the thought would be a bit scary - not even counting the stories her sisters told her about there bonding experiences. She wasn't even entirely sure how it worked, but she mused that it was a kind of supernatural "best match" mechanic. All the mated women she met were without exception beautiful, confident and strong, they were certainly good matches for any guy. 

But Alice wasn't any of that, so it would probably never even happen. She was, what the internet would euphemistically call "curvy": she had rather short, thick legs with cellulitis, her waist was nonexistent and her face was total human average. Her brown eyes wouldn't mesmerize anyone and her brown hair was dull, at best. Eternal average, given that she would not change for the rest of her immortal life. No one had told her that she would freeze into immortality at about 30 - if she knew that she would have gone on a crash diet and had some surgery done. But it is what it is. The only thing she could really like about herself where her freckles. They made her look a bit more lively and active. She susptected her less than average looks were because she was only a halfling - half witch, half human. The world of the lore presented itself to her only after she had already lived a human life for quite some time, a normal life - going to school, later to work, having horrible dates. After a bad break up she eventually moved back in with her Dad were she stayed until he had died. It hadn't been perfect, but it was a good life. Quiet, content. Predictable. And long story short -when he was gone she found out that her heritage was far more than she could have imagined. The funeral was attended by what looked like the new victorias secret runway line up - leggy supermodels with perfect faces, figures and wardrobes: her mother's kind. They told her that she could come live with them and learn what it meant to be a witch. At first she thought they where kidding her, but when she actually showed up at their place they had demonstrated to her that she was indeed an immortal creature. Alice found out that she had actual magic in her and that she was quite good at it. She had been a computer programmer in her human life - and by adapting her methodical thinking and patience to the study of magic, she already achieved great things. The ability to build spells into objects to be used by non-magic creatures, for example. Or the among her sisters not widespread skill to develop entirely new spells. Full witches were powerful, that was true, but also impatient and often unorganized. Alice couldn't really throw fire in battle, but if your magical castle needed very special protections - she was your woman. It made her coven a lot of money and earned her a reputation of being a problem-solver, the ace up the witches' collective sleeve. 

And that's what she would do for the rest of eternity: making spells, daydreaming, playing videogames. She had expected that her life would become more exciting when she entered the world of the Lore: ancient gods, great warriors, magic, battles - and vampires! But in the end they all where all too human, hanging out in living rooms, having movie nights and wii-tournaments. She craved some excitement outside of sitting in her workroom and crafting anti-pest-spells for the fey kind, it was so mundane, in the end. 


	2. Tristan

Tristan was with a group of younger Lykae that came late to the party. They had been hunting for stray kobolds in the woods near the compound, but they didn't give them a great hunt or a fight and left them unsatisfied and rowdy. They hoped for a little brawl on the playing field and loads of whiskey and females to soothe their excitement. Tristan had been looking forward to this gathering, he still had to cross a few of the other lore species from his list of conquests, a Valkyrie for example. He enjoyed the challenge and he had set his sights on one of the shieldmaidens he hoped to meet tonight.

When they arrived it seemed that the party hadn't yet started - there was no brawling and only moderate amounts of drinking, some of his little group even howled in frustration. For immortal standarts, this party was super lame. And where were the Nymphs? They would first wet their throads with whiskey and than teach the antiques how you really play rugby. Most of the older Lykae, the ones who were about a millenium old, had already started playing. Antiques. Most of their group counted 400 years - younglings. They made their way to the whiskey casks, checking out the other party goers on the way. Tristan thought he saw a glimpse of the glowing Valkyrie - she was just his type. Confident, beautiful, special and feisty. He separated from the group and started to follow her faint glow around. _What a woman! Glow in the dark! Would he be able to sleep in the same bed as her if she didn't turn off at night?_ He chuckled to himself at that thought when - BAM - a giant body crushed into him and threw him several yards and in the dirt.

"What the fuck, man?" he cried out as he got back up. He stood opposite a massive demon with horns that where growing from his rage. Tristan didn't know him, so he tried to defuse that whole situation. He held up his palms and tried to appease him "Come on man, I don't even know you". The big demon didn't seem to care - he charged again, horns first! But this time, Tristan saw him coming and easily evaded the bigger demon's sluggish attack and managed to throw him off balance so the giant male tumbled into a tree, smashing it into a thousand splinters of wood. Well, he'd wished for a fight, didn't he? Tristan took a low stance, waiting for the demon to attack him again. He charged - running directly into Tristan who stopped the giant and held him in place by his shoulders while the demon pushed with all his strength, but he was no match for a Lykae. Tristans buddies cheered - a crowd had gathered to watch the fight. "Why do you do this? You're not going to win, you know?" Tristan shouted so that everyone could hear. The demon snorted in frustration. "You broke my sisters heart, I will break you!"

With this new resolve, the demon seemed to gain some strength and crashed into Tristant, who tried to block but the demon had tackled him so hard that he flew backwards - and time seemed to slow down. As he drew in the breath that had been knocked out of him, his senses detected the sweetest scent in the world, and his instinct awoke with the unmistakeable message: she is near. yOur mate. Yours. It was so unreal, he was flying backwards, still felt the impact in his bones, but at the same time his mind was racing, his heart beating with excitement. She was here, his life would change so much now. What would she look like? What would her character be like? She didn't seem to be a Lykae - how would she respond to him? His mind was gone from the fight for only a few seconds, lost in thought, but he was brought back when he landed in the soft dirt among the onlookers and slid a few yards on his back until coming to a halt. He groaned and looked up - at a startled girl that seemed terryfied and suprpised that a dirty Lykae had just landed at her feet. The most wonderful girl he had ever seen - he recognized her with one glance. His mate. Big, warm, brown eyes stared back at him. For a moment, nothing happened as he lay there, forgetting why he was even there, looking into his mates blushing face with a smile. The moment was interrupted when she was dragged out of his sight by her arm, he heard afemales voice "Look out, Ally!" - and she was gone. As he moved to get up, to follow her- a large shadow appeared on him. The demon had jumped and now tried to land on Tristans chest to crush it. Not happening, _I don't have time for this now._ He quickly rolled out of the impact zone and threw a punch at the falling demon, the impact if his fist multiplied by the incoming demon's speed. There was a sound like the impact of a canon. It shattered Tristans hand - but also knocked the demon out with a single blow. If he didn't have a mate to catch up to he would have savored this victor more, knocking out a rage-demon with one blow was a feat no one would be able to copy that fast. But he sure hoped she had seen it, seen that he was more than capable to protect her from anything. Most of the crowd seemed disappointed in the quick fight and turned away again to resume their conversations, Tristans friends came to him to pat his back and congratulate him to his quick victory. But he had no time for this. "It has happened, she's here" he told his comrades who understood what he was saying and nodded as he immediately took off to find her.


	3. A walk through the woods

Alice saw a fight break out among the Loreans. She already expected a few drunks to clash, so she wasn't really scared, they typically kept it among themselves. In fact, she was still fascinated by the sheer power some of those beings had: when they fought they where fast and hit hard, it was a like an action movie happening directly in front of her eyes, so she actually hurried towards it and tried to get a better look, this short displays of what the Lore could be outside of her own little bubble where her highlights.

A broad, heavy looking demon seemed to attack a slightly smaller guy, without horns. The demon looked brutish, too buff and too big for her tastes, but the other one capured her gaze: he was tall and slim, but still muscular, his black hair was a short mess on his head, but looked like he styled it intentionally that way. His back was turned to her so she couldn't see his face, but he didn't seem concerned, his stance was low, but relaxed. It seemed like he brawled a lot and was actually enjoying this. Alice was looking forward to a little action, this seemed promising. The crowd parted a little to give them space and some cheered half-heartedly for them to fight it out. The demon charged and crashed with a brutal thud into the smaller guy, sending him through the air towards her. The blow had such a force that the guy was pushed through the dirt farther than she had expected and she had to hurriedly step backwards to not be knocked over by him. He landed at her feet and looked up at her. He had an overall boyish face, he looked, at most, to be in the middle of his 20s. He had a masculine jaw and a strong nose, he looked like he would imagine a rogue from a phantasy novel. For a short moment, she met his amber eyes, but they almost immediately flickered blue -showing her that she shouldn't be near him right now. The eye-color change was a sure signt that the Lorean was feeling strong emotion - in the middle of the fight it was probably aggression. But he feet didn't move, she didn't want to stop looking into that handsome face, wanted to savour this look he gave her, like he couldn't believe what he saw. Luckily, Mari grabbed her by the arm and drew her away just as the demon came crushing in "watch out, Ally!" . She could still catch a glimpse of how the handsome guy evaded the attack, but Mari didn't let her look anymore.

"It's dangerous to be caught in such a fight - you better stay away", she said

"But I want to look...." Alice complained, but she still followed, knowing it to be true. 

They heard a loud bang from the direction of the fight and some surprised gasps - great, now she had missed the best part!

"Let's get to a better viewpoint, I bet they are not done yet", she said

"Back to the others than" Mari said with a wink. They squeezed through all the Loreans pushing towards the action to a group of tables at the edge of the party where the rest of their coven was well on their way to getting wasted. Carrow was already tipsy and sitting atop Malcolm, kissing him passionately. 

_Great, so that part of the evening has begun_ , Alice thought. The others of her kind would get drunk, flirting and dancing on tables and making out with gorgeous guys - while Alice would awkwardly stand in a corner until she quietly left, unnoticed. She wasn't mad at them for having fun, they deserved to live as they pleased. But it made her feel invisible, more so than usual, amplified her feelings of inadequacy. Her heavy, unshapely body wasn't attractive, no one paid special attention to her. It was as it had always been - high school, college - that she was simply there, and most people were okay with that, but no one would actually look at her like they looked at other girls. With interest, curiousity, lust. As Mari fell into her Lykae's open arms and kissed him, she looked so happy. And he looked at her like she was the most fascinating thing in the whole world, the most beautiful, most perfect creature imaginable. 

While Alice didn't resent others for what they had, she resented herself for what she lacked. She looked down at her hands, her chubby fingers, that where attached to chubby forearms and giant, fat upper arms that she always kept covered. She couldn't wear sleeveless shirts or her massive fat reservoirs would be shown to the world. She was so ashamed of how she looked, especially at moments like this. Her breasts were big, at least that, but they hung over a protruding belly that was shaped like wet sack of sand. She sometimes saw girls her size with a better shape, where everything just seemed more firm, or better distributed. Her body had decided to bow to the earths gravity and her weight hung off her body in unsightly lobes or roles of fat, 

She sighed. It would be better if she left now when she could still turn the evening around - by herself, with a bowl of pocorn and a movie. Her sisters were not paying attention right now, she would text them she had gone home on the way. She turned to leave, she would have to walk a short path through the trees, than through a field and a bit through the city to get home, it would clear her head, it would be good exercise. As she left the grove she left the sounds of the party behind her and let her mind wander, turning to daydreaming about what would be if she were as lovely as the others. She recalled the look the handsome fighter had given her: suprised, wide-eyed. It had given her a special feeling, like he was looking at her and found her to be beautiful, like her beauty was enough throwing him off balance. In her imagination, her body was tiny, her face perfect like in an advert. Her hair would be black and curly, a sharp contrast to her white skin. She imagined him getting up, beating the demon in an awesome figh, only to abandon the already gathering groupie-nymphs to talk to her. A warm feeling of excitement welled up and filled her chest. It chased the bad thoughts away and left her feeling fuzzy and content. Feeling a little distracted from the negative feelings the party had brought her, she thought about the movie she had saved for an evening just like this and looked forward to getting home. She didn't really pay attention to her surroundings - what could happen? - and her heart almost jumped out of her chest when suddenly, someone walked beside her, looking directly at her. 

She let out a cry of surprise - and felt her face heat immedietly. It was the man from before, the one she had to started to fantasize about. 

Amber eyes looked at her curiously, a crooked smile was on his lips as he nonchalantly said "Hi there".

"Uh-uhm h-hi", she stuttered. All of a sudden, she grew hyper-conscious of her body, her face. This perfect man was now standing beside her, looking at her _seeing her_. She must have stopped walking out of shock, she stood there, heart beating and probably shaking slightly from nervousness. _Don't look at him like you think he is the most handsome man in existence!_ she thought. She tried to put on her very best pokerface, calm her voice, and say in the most steady voice she could manage "Yes? What do you want?" She was half-succesfull. She didn't squeak like a mouse, as she would usually do, but her voice cracked a little and she spoke much too fast. And, as she realized just now, he could probably hear her heartbeat, see the signs, probably smell her feelings. _Fuck!_ She didn't want to think about how she smelled, it had always been her fear to be the big, smelly, disgusting girl. 

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you, where are you going? What's your name? A sweet lass like you shouldn't be out alone at night", he said with a charming wink and that intriguing accent all Lykae seemd to have etched into their DNA. 

"I a- I am going home", she managed to say in a kind of steady voice. As she was just calming down from the first shock - he moved closer to her, looking at her like she was the most interesting thing he had ever seen, sending new waves of nervousnes through her bones. She took a few steps back, that was too much for her. Fantasy - yes, more please! The real thing? Nope. Hole in the ground for hiding, now!

He seemd to feel her anxiety and he stopped to give her some space. "I guess I'll accompany you home, than" he said. He offered her his arms, which she just stared at like it was a poisonous snake. She felt clammy, she would surely not touch him, he would think that she was a dead fish. She turned to continue her way home without further comment, trying to ignore him. It didn't seem to discourage him as he cheerily trotted beside her, almost dancing around her, he seemed so full of energy. 

"How rude of me, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Tristan", he offered her his hand, he had now turned to toward her and was sidestapping along side her. 

"Hi, I'm Alice", and she took is hand. 

She was expecting a normal handshake, but he took her hand, turned it around and moved his head down to kiss it. She drew her hand away quickly "Stop that! What do you think you're doing?" She bit out. 

"Kissing a lady's hand, but it seems the lady is hard to seduce",he said. He turned forward to walk beside her, but his head was still turned toward her and he was blatantly staring, smiling a heartmelting smile. Alice grew suspicious. 

What business had a guy _like that_ seducing a girl like her? Was this a cruel joke? Did he lose a bet? It wasn't like this was the first time someone had joke-flirted with her just to laugh at her later, she would not fall for this again. Wait - now she knew what this was about!

"Wait, you just want to get some free spells out of me, do you?", she said angrily. She was no longer enchanted by him, she knew what was happening here. He just wanted her to do something for him. Typical!

"What? Spells? So you are a witch?", he said. "I should have known - the way you enchanted me with one look. I don't need spelIs - I just want to talk to the pretty lass", he seemed to be trying to turn the conversation around, speaking to her in an even more seductive tone. Which made her mad as hell. What a liar. The nerve! 

"I craft all kinds of complicated spells. And you know it. And what you should also know is that I don't give out freebies - escpecially not if one is so blatantly trying to get some. Place your order with the House of Witches, pay the price like everyone else.", she said in an ice cold voice. Of course a man like that couldn't like her, wouldn't want to talk to her withouth having other goals. Bad memories arose within her, she supressed some tears, she was mad and distraught and by the gods if she was a stronger witch she would now burn this whole wood down just to show him. Or have him struck by lighning, to illustrate her point. But all she could manage was walking slightly faster, not looking at him anymore. She felt pathetic. Of course, he easily kept up. She knew that any Lykae was far stronger and faster than she could ever be, so it would be no good to run. She would endure this humiliating walk of shame home with dignity, she swore to herself. 

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong" he said. And indeed he sounded sorry. What a bastard.

"Maybe let me start again: My name is Tristan, I'm from the Mc Rieve Clan, I believe you know some of my kind? Bowen is actually a cousin of min, twice remoced.", he said in a deliberately calm tone. "And I couldn't help but notice you, you know? Why are you mad at me?" he sounded a bit lost right now. His usual programm of flirting didn't work. Good. Alice felt like she had achieved a little victory - he had run against a wall. 

"Hello Tristan of the Mc Rieve Clan, my name is Alice and all I want is to walk home in peace.", she said sternly. 

"Come on, you like me, too! And what do you have to lose? At least let me walk you home, it's safer than going alone. There are strange beings out there", he said, now a little more serious. 

What she had to lose? Her dignity, her heart - probably both. 

He didn't seem to give up, he would probably take anything she said and turn it around to flirt. So silence would probably be the best way. Fuck, her way home took her about 40 minutes. Longest 40 minutes of her life, starting now. 

For a while, he just walked beside her in silence, she tried to ignorie him but was hyper-aware of any movement he made. He was looking at her, nervously changing pace often. It was really stressing to her. 

He sighed, breaking the silence and said "Oh my you are cute when you are angry!" and chuckled. She bet his smile right now was perfect, but she didn't look. And kept quiet. 

"So you're punishing me with your silence, what harsh lass I got there. But also so....breathtaking", he said, bowing forward to look in her face, searching for a reaction. She would give him none. 

She heard him draw a sharp breath and say in a playful tone:"Was that a smile? For a split second? By the gods woman - you really know how to torture a man". She felt herself smiling noe, even though she didn't want to. Why was this guy so charming? She tried to turn her head away but he swiftly appeared on her other side, his face just mere inches from hers, his eyes flickered blue, capturing her completely. She felt his hand gently cup her face and before she realized what was happening - his mouth was on hers, his tongue pushing inside her for a deep kiss. She froze. It felt good, she had almost forgotten what kissing could feel like. And he was good at it. What harm could a few seconds do? His hand moved to cradle the back of her head, holding her close to him. She felt his hand on her hip. She didn't care anymore, about anxiety, the way she looked, what he even wanted, she deserved this moment- she kissed him back, which just seemed to make him bolder. His hand wandered up and around her waist, pushing her against him, she put her hand up on his chest and was delighted to feel hard muscles under his shirt. He groaned softly. His body was warm, firm. She found herself imagining what he must look like without his shirt, what his skin might feel like. She moved her hand up to his neck, brushing over his smooth skin. He felt so great, smooth skind over muscles. His hand was now moving up her back, he grabbed her and gave her back a little squeeze. Her backroll, to be exact.

No, panic, this is wrong. All of a sudden, the whole package of her anxiety came back, crushing every bit of arousal she had built. Anxiety about her body, about how inadequate it was to be kissed by a guy like that. All the joy she had felt was gone, she pushed against him, she wanted this to stop now! 

It took him a moment to realize what she wanted and he reluctantly broke off their kiss, but he didn't realease her. Her pushing helped nothing, his arms held her like iron bars and he drew her in a tight embrace, lying his head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear "what is it, love? What did I do now?" 

"Let me go, I don't want this, this is a mistake", she said in a begging voice. She was upsed, the pushed against his chest to get away. He opened his arms and she drew away, unable to look him in the eye. 

"I...I need to get home now", was all she manged to say and she took off. 


	4. Chapter 4

Tristan's mind was racing - what more could he tell her to make her stay? She didn't respond well to anything he had tried so far and she was leaving. Running from him. As he saw her stalking up the path among the trees, he decided that just saying the truth might be best. He had listened to other Lykae's stories about their non-Lykae mates and lying about the fact didn't seem to get them very far.

"You are my mate!", he shouted. She froze where she stood, but didn't turn around. She hissed, shook her head and continued on. "I vow to the Lore that you are my mate, and I vow that I will not give up!", he tried again. She stopped and turned around, looking at him with a confused expression. "What?", she asked. "You heard me. You are my mate, that's why I'm here. And I won't leave." He tried to state this as calmly as he could, but inside his head was mayham. What if he scared her away now? What if she ran from him? He waited for her response. She seemed to need some time to process this - his vow to the Lore told her that he didn't lie, she couldn't just ignore this. She stared at him, mouth open. "Uhm, okay? What- How-?", she stammered. 

Tristan moved closer to her. "My instinct tells me that you are mine, there is no doubt", he said, reaching for her. He craved to touch her again, hold her again. She still seemed shocked, but she let him touch her cheek and gently tuck a strain of hair behind her ear. She stared at him with a wide-eyed expression - fear? Confusion?

"So, you're like - what? - compelled to like me?", she asked. "Forced by your instinct?" 

"I wouldn't say it like that, my instinct is part of me. It has never misled me, and now it's leading me to you", he explained. 

She was avoiding his gaze, "But that's what it is - you are now, uh, tied to me. I - uhm, I am sorry". Her voice sounded meek all of a sudden, like she was a kid that has done something wrong. She wrapped her arms around herself like she was cold. He couldn't help but to hold her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. He would have loved to hold her tight and tell her how he would take care of her from now on, how he would always be there for her. But he couldn't be sure if that made her even more uncomfortable.

"Nothing to be sorry about, I like to be tied to you very much, should I get some iron chains?", he joked, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled, but still looked uncomfortable. He could hear her heart beat frantically. He sighed and let his hand slide through his hair - what could he even do? His mate was clearly upset and he couldn't figure out how to change that. 

While he was still thinking she looked an him and said: "So? What now?" 

She was looking at him for guidance, he would be damned if he just wasted that opportunity to prove himself to her. Just a few minutes ago, he felt that she was passionate and had enjoyed their kiss. Maybe this was his way into her heart? "We can continue were we left off...", he trailed off, leaning down to her for another kiss. He wasn't sure what he did wrong the last time, but she freaked when he lay his hand on her upper back - so he refrained from that now, instead holding her gently with his hands on her lower back. He could feel her tensing and she turned her head down - away from him - so instead he kissed her hair. This was a dead end. He wanted to comfort her so badly. Perhaps a change of scenery might help her? He wanted to take her home, to his bed, so badly, but he mused that was out of the question...

"I think I want to go home now...", she said and tried to get out of the embrace, he let her go. 

"I will see that you get home safely", he said and offered her his arm again, this time, she took it, albeit hesitantly. They started to walk along the path in the woods again. 

"Are you _sure_ I am your mate? Can't there be some kind of...uhm, mistake?", she asked after a while. 

"No, absolutely not. You are my mate, Alice, and that won't ever change. You always were my mate, I just hadn't found you.", he explained once again. 

"I mean, I heard from Mari how Bowen's instinct was misled by magic, it's not...infallible...", she said. 

"So did you enchant me? I am flattered", he said. She shook her head absently. She seemed lost in thought and avoided his gaze at all cost. She seemed nervous, uncomfortable. He couldn't understand what he did wrong. She didn't seem appalled by the idea of being his mate and she wasn't terrified by a beast being bound to her, he also couldn't sense any aversion to him as a Lyke. . Whatever it was- he was just sure that she didn't like this situation. He was lost as to why, but he had to figure out a way to remedy that anyway.

He realized that she was searching for a way out of this, an easy way. But there was none, he knew deep in his gut that she was the one for him. Other species to whom this was a completely unknown thought didn't really understand _how_ sure a Lykae could be of his mate. Maybe this was even to his advantage - if she didn't feel like she was trapped, she didn't want to run. And he had time to ease her into this. The only worry he had was the full moon, luckily in three weeks time, but it was still a close deadline. His strategy from now on would be clear: get to know her, get her to fall for him and postpone any mate-business until then. 

"Tell you what: How about I bring you home now and we meet again tomorrow?", he asked. He didn want to leave her for the night, he had just found her, but if he didn't want to mess this up now, he needed to give her time. "Uhm, maybe, I don't know yet", she said, not even looking at him. They walked in silence for a bit and Tristan used this time to look at her to his hearts content, to enjoy her scent. She had a cute little nose and freckles on her cheeks. Her face was all gentle curves and softness, looking at her made him feel like he was finally home after a long journey. He was searching for things he could talk to her about but realized that he didn't know much about her yet. He knew that she was a witch - and not much else. He was so curious about her, he couldn't decide what to ask her first. What were her favorite things? How was she brought up? What made her laugh? What was her favorite food? He figured he should ask her easy, small things first...


	5. Everything is perfect but me

So, that was it. She got what she wanted: an immortal, incredibly handsome warrior-Lykae that seemed to like her. Except that she was now feeling guilty. Tristan was good looking, happy, outgoing, so charming - everything a woman could wish for. He may have started their evening by acting like the typical alpha male she saw almost every time when she met Loreans, but after he realized that this way of acting stressed her he tuned it down and he was actually very sweet for the rest of the way. He had asked her a million things about her life, her feelings, what she liked, what excited her. And it seemed like he listened really closely, like everything she revealed about herself was the most fantastic thing he had ever heard. She felt heard, seen. He was so attentive. She had told him maybe a bit too much, but it felt so good to be interesting to a guy like that. A guy that most certainly had lived a life a thousand times more exciting than hers would ever be, full of battle, conquest and nights filled with orgies with the most beautiful creatures. 

She glanced into the mirror on her vanity. _Everything about this is perfect, except for me,_ she thought. Plain old Alice was looking back from beyond the glass. A girl no one looked at twice, a girl a guy like Tristan would normally only talk to if he wanted to get to her hot friend. And just that girl had agreed to go on a date with him tomorrow night. Fuck! She hated dates - they were usually a desaster! An awkward, humiliating desaster. Why did she say yes? Oh, right, he had complimented her so sincerely. How beautiful he thought she was, how - what was the word? - lush? her body was, how much he craved to kiss her again. He had looked at her with such intense hunger that she was fauning over it even now. The feeling of being wanted so fiercely by a man like that - in fact, by any man at all - was alien to her, it was frightening. But it also felt good. She had read up on matehood - he was indeed now fixated on her and only her. She was the only woman he could have a family with, he would never stray, no matter what she did or how she looked like, he would never leave her or treat her badly. A deep sigh escaped her. Too good to be true! 

Her sight fell on a little motivational note her father had written her when she had her heart broken for the first time: "You deserve to loved". He wrote it on a little patch of paper from is office in black ink and it had been on her vanity for a long time. New resolve grew in her: this was her shot at happniess! 

The stories of her sisters about their mates had always excited her, but she had always felt sorry for the guys. Chasing around their mates in desparation. She swore to herself that she wouldn't let Tristan down. That she would earn his affections, would care for him as he did for her. This was her shot 

She needed a new outfit. Actually a new body would be best - but she would have to settle for some clothing and make up to cheat a little beauty into her appearance. But she kept the thought about a body change in the back of her head - she was, after all, a which. Magic was not out of her reach. Maybe she could one day become a woman that didn't look wrong on that gorgeous males side. 

She was much to nervous to sleep, so she went to check on the options already in her wardrobe and maybe watch a make-up tutorial or two. 

* * *

Tristan had brought her to her doorstep and even got a shy good night kiss on his cheek. He would need all his sensibility and flair to win her. And all his self-control. 

Now he was sitting in a tree near her window, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, waiting to catch a glimpse of her. They had talked a little along the way and he had found out that his mate was not even a hundred years old and grew up as a human. He had gotten himself a halfling. She didn't know her witch mother, she had denied it but he was sure to have detected a subtle sadness about that. She had only recently joined the Lore, after her father had died. He had apparantly not liked the whole Lore-world and had wished to be left alone to live a normal life with his daughter. He added "find her mother" to the list of things he could do to make her happy. Another was to act a bit more human, he figured that she was still a little overwhelmed by the way Loreans went about findin their partners, so he proposed a very human date, like he had seen in movies. He would take her to a small Lykae-run pub near his compound where they would drink and eat, and she could get used to him. 

He heard her walk around in her room, it was on the second floor. He could catch her scent now and than, that was even worth sitting in a goddamn tree. He was well hidden, she wouldn't be able to see him - but he would see her. He tensed, drew in a sharp breath - she was coming to the window, he heard her steps. He saw her open the curtains, push the window up and peer out. She was looking down to her little garden and scanned the vicinity of her house. Searching for him? How cute. Maybe he should have camped on her lawn? She was now looking through the trees, but she didn't spot him. She relaxed a bit and fully leaned out, her upper body resting on the windowsill. She wore a loose, dark nightgown with a wide neckline. He stared at the view it gave him: her big, plump breasts were resting on her arms, on open display, just for him. He gazed at her white, soft flesh and he had to stifle a groan. His cock was suddenly rock hard, almost painful in his trousers. He leaned forward on the tree branch to get an even better look. 

Alice looked like she was lost in thought, gazing up at the sky and playing absently with a lock of her hair. What Tristan would give to be able to climb to her window and touch her, kiss her wonderful breasts and make her cry out with the same pleasure he was feeling right now. But he told himself to be patient. He would have an eternity of that if he played his cards right. She sighed and her hand wandered from her hair to her collarbone, she absent mindedly drummed her little fingers on her chest. And her hand dropped further down - Tristan swallowed in anticipation. She was still lost in thought and her hand brushed over her breast, stroking herself. He was now breathing quick, shallow breaths - was she about to really touch herself now? Did she perhaps know he was out there? No, she seemed totally unaware of his presence. She was crossing her arms underneath her breasts now, squeezing them up and together to make them look even more tempting to him. He could see how lush and soft her flesh was. This was torment, he could come from the mere sight of that. He couldn't help but to imagine what it would feel like to kiss her breats, to suckle her nipples and make her cry for more. How they would move when he would finaly take her... Now his hand wandered down, he opened the button of his jeans to ease the pain. The pictures in his head were so vivid, her scent was all around him - there was no going back. His hand closed around his shaft to ease his arousal, after a few strokes he already came hard, all the tension that had built up in him throughout the evening released. A loud grunt escaped his mouth when he lost control of his body for a second. 

It was too loud, Alice was ripped from her thoughts and looked around in confusion. "Who's there?", asked loudly. Silence. Tristan didn't move. Alice waited and listened into the night. Suddenly, her head turned and she looked down. A badger was scuttling over the lawn and she relaxed visibly. _Lucky me,_ he thought and relaxed. She looked for a moment at the little animal with a delighted expression and seemed to leave it at that. She closed the window again and shut the curtains. That was a close one, he let down a relieved breath and leaned back against the tree trunk, a happy smile on his face. All in all - he was content with the progress he had made. He took a sip from his bottle and thought about where other Lykae had stood with their mates after first meeting them: Garret had been shot by his mate, Bowen had been lost in the jungle and their Lykae king, Lachlain, had been...less than a gentlemen, telling from the rumors he had heard. Tristan, on the other hand had brought her home after a deep conversation and left her with the promise of a romantic evening in the near future.

What could go wrong? 


	6. Chapter 6

_You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!,_ Alice thought. She stood in her bedroom, looking into the big mirror on the wall. The whole day had been full of preparations for this evening. When she would go out. On a date. With a sports-model-type guy that wanted her. Panic rose in her, the feeling of all muscles tightening in anxiety. She needed a drink. She had already had half a bottle of red wine throughout the afternoon, another full glass was sitting on her table. It calmed her, although she knew that alcohol was never a solution of life's problems. _But it would make me forget my anxiety, make this work_ , she justified to herself. Another gulp of wine. 

She looked at herself in the mirror again. Her hair was styled in a braided bun on top of her head, she wore a shoulder free top with flounces in a bordeaux-red, it was lose around her bust and an elastic band gave the illusion of her having a waist. A pair of high-weist Jeans supported the look to give her somewhat of an hourglass figure. She had experimented with make up but decided that it was better if she didn't wear to much, just some eyeliner and a lipstick that matched her top. She did actually like her looks right now, she thought she looked almost like on of the plus-size instagrammers she followed. But that feeling would fade when they met the first fey or sorceres on their night out. _There's always someone to take good things away from you_ , the little, evil voice in her head reminded her. But what more could she do? She still had half an hour until Tristan would come to pick her up. She paced nervously in front of the mirror. Waiting is the worst part. She decided to move downstairs to the kitchen and wait at the window, she would see him from there. When she entered the small room she caught a glimpse of something red on the street - he was already there?

Leaning against a red sports-car, Tristant looked like a model in an ad. He wore a black shirt that accentuated his slim, muscular figure. He had styled his black hair forward, but it still looked wild and like he just got out of bed. His jeans were torn fashionably and he wore heavy combat boots, it made him look both incredibly handsome and dangerous. He seemed relaxed, but he was playing around with his keychain, throwing it in the air, cathing it and spinning it around his finger like a gun in a western movie. 

A tight feeling was spreading in her chest again. _I cannot go out there!,_ all her resolve was gone. She was supposed to be with that guy? Her? Abso-fucking-lutely not. Adrenalin shot through her body, made her antsy, she wanted to run away. But she couldn't outrun him, she couldn't hide. He probably already knew that she was down in the kitchen. _Okay, breathing, in and out. Calm yourself._ This would happen, there was no going back now. She got up, grabbed her purse and opened the door.

She was incredibly self-aware right now. Was she standing upright? Did she tremble? Or hyperventilate? Did she walk in a funny way? 

Tristan came towards her and whistled the typical little tune of admiration. He reached for her hand bowed down to kiss it. She was so startled by all of this that she didn't even pull it away. 

"You look stunning, I love the red", he said. He didn't let go of her hand, instead he pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I've missed you", he rasped in her ear. "I- I mean you only saw me yesterday", was all she could think of. S _tupid answer, Alice!_

"Well, I don't like to be away from you for even a minute", he said and loosened the embrace to look down at her face. How did he always manage to turn her mumbling into another sweet comment?

"Are you feeling alright? Is there anything I can do?", he asked, sounding concerned. 

Of course he would see what a nervous mess she was. "I just haven't been on a date in a long time", she stammered. She could, herself, hear the trembling in her voice and she bet that her face was already flaming red. "I'm just not very good at this", she added since apologetically.

He chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "You know you can do nothing wrong with me, you're already my mate, remember?", he said. "If you don't want to go out, we don't have to. Whatever makes you the most comfortable. I just want you to be happy."

What did she want? She wasn't so sure right now. Maybe she should just ask him in? While she was contemplating the best way to spend the evening, he added in a seductive tone: "Of course, I would be delighted to be alone with you." 

Blood shot in her face - if she was alone with him, he would probably see it as an invitation for...something. 

"No, that pub you told me about is fine, let's go there", she said hastily. 

"As you wish", he said. 

* * *

The pub was small and homely. Stained glass windows and dark wood panneling made it look like an old english pub. It was, aptly named: "The Howling Wolf". The barkeeper greeted Tristan like an old friend with a firm handshake and the few patrons that sat at the tables or played pool all seemed to know him, too. A table had already been reserved for them, a comfortable looking dark green leather couch stood in a dimly lit corner behind a small table. They sat down and he asked: "What would you like to drink, lass?" 

She was still nervous, she felt like she needed a beer. 

"Uhm, maybe an ale or something like that?", she said. She held her purse like a shield in front of her, like it could protect her.

"I think I know what you will like", he said with a wink and went to the bar to order. Her gaze wandered, looking at the other people in the pub. There was a group of men at a big table playing cards and talking in gaelic - more Lykae no doubt. They didn't pay her any attention. Another group was at the pool table. She looked there just in time to be treated to the view of a round, firm, female butt, as a gorgeous dark-haired highland beauty was leaning over the pool table to assess her next move, cue in hand.

 _Great, I bet she's his ex or something,_ the evil voice inside Alice's head commented. Even more anxiety flooded her chest and made her pulse go up. 

Tristan came back with two tulip-shaped glasses full of amber-colored beer and sat down next to her. He leaned forward and brushed a kiss on her hair. 

"What's upsetting you? I could hear your heart drum from the bar", he whispered in her ear. 

"Oh, nothing, really", she lied. Of course she wouldn't tell him that she was jealous of a random woman in a bar. 

"I wish you would tell me your thoughts so that I can help you feel better", he said, brows drawn. 

He raised his glas to hers and said "To us, my love", and took a sip. 

She just managed to nod and took a big gulp of beer, it tasted fresh and sparkling, not at all bitter. It was really good. She really needed to watch her alcohol consumption...

"Yesterday you told me a lot about you. Aren't you curious about me?", he asked. 

Yes, having him speak would be a good idea, something to distract her. And she was curious about him.

"I don't know...how old are you?", she asked. 

"Fourhundredand some", he answered. 

That meant he was most likely born in Scotland - in a time where the bookpress had just been invented. 

"How did you grow up? Do you have family?", she asked, in hope that he would be talking for a while.

He told her much about his youth in Scotland, hunting in the woods with his family and living in the Lykae Clan. He had two sisters and three brothers, but only one sister lived with him in the compound. The rest of his family was back in Scotland. Listening to him relaxed her somewhat, gave her something to focus on. And he was a great storyteller, he was funny, he could use his voice to capture her. He told her of great battles he fought against demons and vampires. How he once infiltrated a castle of the Horde with a small group of Lykae or just how life was in a pre-industrialized society.

So she kept asking, he kept telling and they kept drinking until she felt more tipsy and giggly than anxious. The alcohol fogged her mind and clouded her judgement. Suddenly, she wondered why sober Alice didn't just grab that wonderful guy and made passionate love to him. Their corner of the pub was dimly lit, the couch was so comfortable. He was sitting almost sideways, fully turned to her and he was constantly moving nearer. One of his arms was on the head rest just above her and one was resting on the table. He would just have to close his arms and he would embrace her, but he kept a small distance. She could smell his aftershave and feel the heat emanating from his body. She looked at his wonderful face, the strong jaw, his kissable lips, the straight, noble looking nose. 

_Oh what the hell, you only live once!_ , she thought and crossed her arms behind his head and pulled him down for a deep kiss. He gasped in surprise - now he was startled and didn't know what to do for a second. His arms closed around her and he kissed back, more demanding than ever. Her hands were stroking through his thick, black hair-

Alice couldn't say how long they had kissed like this or when he grabbed her tighter and in the end she was sitting pressed on his lap, feeling how hard he was right now. He broke their kiss and rasped "Let's get you home, lass". "Yes, take me home", she answered. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you just want the sexy part - look no further than this chapter

They had left the pub in hurry and just a few minutes later arrived at Tristan's house. Alice didn't have the head to remember any details except how gourgeous he looked and how much she wanted him right now. As soon as they were through the front door and the hallway he grabbed and kissed her again, pushing her up against a wall and lifting her legs up, so that she was straddling him and he held her up. His hips pushed against her sex, rubbing her clitoris through the jeans, robbing her of the last bit of thought she was capable of. He stilled all of a sudden and broker their kiss. What was he doing? She opened her eyes to see him staring at her intently. He said "What can I do to you? How far can I go?" He was breathing heavily, his body felt incredibly tense to her. She was aroused, she was drunk and she was definitely falling for this guy, so her answer was just one word: "Anything"

His eyes widened - he groaned and for a short moment she worried what a young Lykae - notorious for their sex drive - would now do to her. 

He liftet her up and carried her to another room, kicked some chairs out of his way and sat her down facing the table so that he stood behind her and pushed her upper body toward the table. He swiftly opened the button of her jeans and yanked them down - together with her panties to her knees. She couldn't see him, but she heard his jeans drop as well. She felt his cock on her ass, as he pushed inside her. She was already so wet that he he slid in without any effort. Tristan groaned loudly and seemed to surrender all control he still had. His hands grabbed her sides and he began taking her from behind. His shaft entered so deep she felt his pelvis hit her arse. She screamed at the explosion of pleasure every thrust gave her, his penis entered her deeply, stimulating every inch of her sheath. He shoved one hand underneath her top and pushed it up together with her bra and kneated her breast in his hand. He rocked his hips even harder now and he screamed her name loudly. She felt him come inside her, how he ejaculated, and his body was shaking with pleasure behind hers. He didn't move for a short moment and drew his cock out. "Hey", Alice called, a litte disappointed, and turned around. Tristan smirked at her "You don't think that was it, I am just starting. I can go all night", he said. He moverd her to sit on the table and took her jeans off, that still had been hanging halfway down her legs, to spread her legs and moved between her thighs. He was hard again, or still? He drew her closer and kissed her deeply, greedily, on hand on the back of her head and one around her back. His grip on her was like iron, even if she wanted to move she probably couldn't have. She once again remembered that the guy she was with could probably lift a truck. The thought was still astonishing to her - and kind of exciting. He pushed into her again, and her fingernails dug into his back with joy. He held her hips to push her down against his shaft as he was fucking her hard. She moaned with pleasure, feeling him so inside her, filling her up. His hand moved to her clitoris to rub her, intensifying the feeling, but she didn't have enough. 

"Deeper, harder", she commanded - and he did. 

He picked her up and threw her onto the floor. She lay on her back and he kneeled in front of her, lifting her hips up to meet his cock, sliding it deep inside her - deeper than before. She screamed with the pleasure "Yes, like that, oh yes!" She saw a gorgeous smile creep on his face as he went wild, abandoning all caution for the moment. Her whole body rocked from his impact and he took her as deeply as she had demanded. He rubbed her clitoris again and she could no longer take it, the friction inside and outside was an overload of sensation. She came, screaming, and her body spasmed, which sent him over the edge as well. He groaned with abandon as he came inside her. 

He lay her hips down and fell on his forearms above her and looked at her with an expression of pure satisfaction and happiness. "I fucking love you", he rasped, his breaths shallow. He looked at her sex and slid one finger inside her, which she hardly noticed after what he just done to her. She felt his semen drip out as he pulled his finger out and he growled. "Ready for another round?" 

"What? Already? I need a short break...", she said. She was feeling numb, she had to get used to this again. 

His was concerned now: "Did I hurt you?", he asked. 

"No, just a minute", she said, but she saw that he had an erection again. Maybe she underestimated what it meant to be with a young werewolf. 

He pulled the last of her clothing over her head and stared at her tits. She knew that a lot of guys were fascinated by their size - at least one good thing about her weight - and arched her back to showcase them. "You know what I like", he said and grabbed both of them in his hands squeezing them. "So soft" he growled. 

She put her hands on the sides of her breast and pushed them together and gave him a challenging look. "Do you want to...?" He looked confused, than she saw that it dawned on him as his eyes widened. "Oh yes", he said and moved to kneel over her chest.

* * *

Tristan didn't know if he could even last longer than a few seconds as he pushed his cock in the cleft between her tits. Warm softness greeted him, he had fantasized about that since yesterday. And she was just inviting him to fuck her big, wonderful tits. He was a lot more cautious now, going slower, he savored every thrust. He couldn't stop groaning. As he thrust, he felt her move along to stimulate him even more, she knew what she was doing. He almost came when he felt something hot and moist on his tip. He looked down. She was sucking and licking his crown while she moved her breasts back and forth. The sensation - the sight, he couldn take this for long. He already felt the tension build inside him. "I'm going to come", he warned her. Her answer was to go faster, sucking his penis even harder. She wanted this. By the gods, knowing this short-circuited his brain, the overload of sensation and the prospect of spending into his mate's greedily sucking mouth robbed him of any control he might have had. He couldn't help but rocking his hips harder as he pumped his hot semen into her. 

His head spun from his orgasm and he could have almost come again as he heard her swallow audibly. He looked down at her as she licked her lips. He was in love. He had worried that her shyness was due to her being inexperienced or even a virgin, but he had a mate that new all kinds of play and wasn't afraid to show him all the pleasure she had to offer. He lay down beside her and she looked at him with big eyes. "Did you have fun?" , she asked. "Amazing", he answered and kissed her. He could still taste his cum in her mouth and it made him hard for her once again.

It took them three more stations to finally make it to his bed - the couch, the coffee table and the living room wall - and finally they lay in the soft sheets, kissing and petting each other. Both had calmed down and the wild sex turned to slow, sensual love making and deep kisses. Tristan whispered oaths of eternal love into her ear, promises of an eternity of happiness. And for the first time, Alice felt really loved. There was no "despite", no "but", there was just: "I love you". 


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning came and it was the complete antithesis to the night before. All the warm, welcome fluff of drunkeness was gone and there was only a throbbing headache in its place. Alice looked around, the bedroom was filled with antique, dark furniture, illuminated by the morning sun. A towering bookshelf full of volumes of different ages, DVDs and magazines stood next to an old fashioned picture of the scottish countryside, a huge dresser and what looked like a bear-rug were in front of the bed. Tristan's bedroom. He lay beside her, still sound asleep, and his hand was resting on her belly. His arm, sun-kissed brown skin and strong muscles was a sharp contrast to her white skin and bloated mid section. As soon as her brain processed this sight she felt the familiar feeling of anxiety close it's tight grip around her chest. _Not beautiful, not good enough. Unlovable._ She was super conscious of what she looked like and she couldn't bear the thought of being seen right now. She mused that she couldn't be quiet enough not to wake him, he was an immortal with extremely keen senses after all, but she would try nonetheless. Carefully repositioning his arm, she got out of bed. The wooden floor creaked under her feet. Tristan didn't open his eyes, he still seemed to be asleep. His hair was as messy as ever and there was light stubble on his face and he just looked perfect. Alice could just have snapped a picture at that moment and it would have looked like an advert. He was so different from her, in every way. She sighed. 

_Get in the shower here or flee before he wakes?_ But how to get away? She didn't really know if she could even get out of the Lykae compound without problems. She should have packed a portal spell, mental note for the future. With no better plan what to do, she shuffled into the shower and tried to make herself presentable for an awkward hangover breakfast. She had also expected to be smelling like the typical male guy for the rest of the morning because she hadn't packed an overnight bag, but she found a bottle of rose scented shower gel. The hot water was doing wonders to her aching body and the sweet scent of roses somewhat relaxed her. Her first wave of relief however washed past pretty fast when she thought about _why_ such a thing would be in his shower cabin. It was half empty, so he didn't just buy it in case he took her home. As she stood contemplating the unsettling implications of female shower products in a guy bathroom, she heard the bed squeak and the floor creak - and the door to the bathroom opened. She frantically tried to remember how the women on sex and the city had handled these situations with grace when she felt a draft of cool air as he already got into the shower with her. She froze, couldn't think of anything witty or cool to say, just that this situation was her biggest nightmare. She felt her shoulders slump forward in an effort to hide from the supernaturally gourgeous man standing behind her. She was sure that her backrolls were still showing, though. 

His arms closed around her and he rested is chin on her shoulder to whisper a "good morning" in her ear. 

"Uhm, good morning", she stammered as she felt his mouth caress her neck and his hands wander to touch her breasts. 

"I think I'm done here, you have the shower to yourself", Alice mumbled and turned to get out, but, of course, his arms didn't let go so easily. 

"Is everything okay?", he asked, while turning her face towards him. His hair was wet an spiky and his skin was glistening with little water drops, his expression was heartbreakingly concerned - how could a guy look so great in every situation? This was plain unfair! 

Summoning all of her college theater acting abilities, she tried to hide all those insecurities and say in the most casual tone: "I am just really worn out, I have to lie down a bit". "Oh, okay, I'll join you in a moment", she heard him say in a flirty voice. 

Her clothes were strewn across several rooms and every piece she picked up teased her memory about last night - but she pushed it away. It felt strange to think about how she had just let go of all her anxieties and made crazy love all night, when she would rather go home and hide right now. She just finished dressing when Tristan strolled out of the shower - without a towel - and sat down on the bed next to her like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

"Come on, tell me what's bothering you. I cannot bear to see you so upset", he said as he laid his arm around her. 

"I'm okay, I'm just tired, I guess I will just go home", she said, trying hard not to look him up and down. 

"...you know you can just sleep here", he said with a wink. "But if you insist on going home and not telling me what's going on, I'll drive you home.", he said, a bit dissapointedly.

* * *

He got ready to live in record time and a short and mostly awkward car ride later Alice was back home and was greeted by her fellow witches with wide, knowing grins. _Why does this have to be so humiliating?_ _As if they didn't stay away all night doing god knows what with god knows how many._

She stomped up to her room, took another shower and dressed in her usual, baggy clothes. It gave her a welcome feeling of familiar security and calm. She thought about what would happen from now on, he surely wouldn't just ghost her like a normal guy would after how she behaved this morning. He didn't have a choice, he was stuck with her now, for the rest of his immortal life. And he didn't even have a say in it. _Poor guy,_ she thought. He was gourgeous, kind, funny, charming - a prize like him shouldn be chained to a troll like her. Guilt was forcing its way into her mind. _If you were just better - this could be perfect. Now he has to be with you all the time and even has to like it,_ the guilt said. It had the voice of her Ex, her failed dates, her dad and her girlfriends all at once. 

Tristand had called her only a few hours later, inviting her to a rugby game, Lykae versus Demons. He sounded really eager and she didn't want to dissapoint him again, it was now kind of her duty to be a good mate to him. Or at least to the extent of her abilities. After a lot of thought she had made the choice to do anything to make his situation better. She had looked up all kinds of spells to change her appearance so that she could compete with other female Loreans, but not one was a long term solution. Most of them were mere illusions, projecting a prettier picture over her own body, but not really changing it. So if she stood in a crowd, the people next to her might be confused why they felt a body too big for a smaller woman. That would not do it...but remolding her whole body didn't seem to be possible for her. She would need very powerful magic for that, more than anyone in her coven could manage, so that wasn't an option.

Her next idea was to break the bond that chained him to her, somehow by changing what his instinct told him. That was, surprisingly, more practical than a beauty spell. There even was precedent: a fey had fallen in love with a Lykae warrior and managed to make him think that she was his mate. Her plan however seemed somethat shortsighted when she couldn't handle their mating rituals... The sad story of Maria aside - if it was possible to turn the instinct on, it was possible to turn it off as well, in theory. Alice was sure that, given enough time, she could figure it out. 

But first things first: she had promised that she would go and watch this match of his, so she had to get ready. 

* * *

The playing field was basically just a meadow with a few poles as markers, benches and tables were set up on one side for the spectators. It was already packed with all kinds of Loreans: a lot of Lykae and Demons, of course, and also a cheerleading group of Nymphs, a few fey and, strange enough at these events, a few Valkyries as well. Everyone was already drinking, chatting and eating. A kind of social gathering Alice usually avoided, because she would be left standing in a corner for the evening and watch everyone else have fun. This time though, she didn't go alone, but with a date. A date, that simply wasn't hard wired to leave with someone else and let her take a taxi. It was kind of reassuring to know. In a flash of excitement about this new outlook, Alice took Tristan's hand as they entered the meadow. He didn't say anything, but he was smiling at her. He knew practically everyone at that game, it was strange. He greeted at least 50 people by name without having to think much, casually striking up short conversations, asking about their life. Effortlessly he miled and socialized, introducing Alice to everyone as "his mate". It felt strange, she didn't have to talk much or really do anything but as his mate - she was accepted, no questions asked. She had given up on this kind of gatherin in College, when people would either ignore her or look at her with disdain when she tried to be social. It was genuinely nice to just...be there. Maybe some higher really had planned to pair them, because they completed each other? He could bring er closer to the world around her, while she could probably help him with her magic and organized nature. Or at least, she hoped so.

The game was about to start an the teams gathered in the playing field. Tristand left Alice in the care of his friends, who were all really nice. They seemed a little cautious around a witch, but stayed friendly and made polite, if a little awkward, conversation. She was a little lost in the conversation, as she didn't regularly hang out with people other than the witches of her coven, so she was a bit lost how to interact with immortal who had led totally different lifes than her or anyone she knew from her old life. Questions like "what college did you go to?" or "where do you work?" where not really applicable because they didn't do any of that human stuff, so she mostly kept silent, rather following their conversations about hunting or the newest lore gossip. Even if she didn't totally ace this from the start, Alice felt that this could actually be working. Maybe. 


	9. Chapter 9

Alice sat on the benches on the sidelines and watched Tristan with his friends on the playing field, talking and having fun. She mused that they were talking about tactics and they occasionally shit talked the guys on the other team, who stood at the other end of the field. It was a weird thought that this breathtaking, kind and funny guy was actually into her. It seemed surreal, like the book could end any time and Alice would just go back to her lonely, everyday life where finding love was totally out of the question for a number of reasons. They were total opposites, but she could slowly allow the thought that this might actually work. 

Tristan was just about to fetch the ball for the game, when a fey girl emerged from a group of spectators and strode towards him on the playing field. She was tall, like most of them, with long, smooth legs, a distinct thigh gap, clearly visible because of her hot pants, gentle curves and noble features. She wore a simple white tank top that showed off her shapely body rather than distract from it.She could probably wear a potatoe sack and make it seem like designer clothes. Full, blonde, long hair bounced with every step and glistened in the light of the evening sun. The fey beauty seemed excited and with a wide smile (showing perfect white teeth), she fell around Tristins neck and tried to give him a kiss. Alice's heart skipped a beat - that must be one of his conquests. The horror on her face must have shown, because one of the group of Lykae Tristan left her with said: "That is Claire, kind of his Ex. They were seeing each other for some time, but don't worry, he's mated to you now. Relax!" She gave Alice a reassuring smile and handed her a beer. Alice didn't feel at all secure or okay with this. She took the bottle and grasped its neck with stiff fingers. Her logic mind knew that there was in fact nothing to worry about, mated Loreans were not known to have any interest in anyone other than their mate, but it somehow didn't get through to her. Her thoughts were already frantically rehearsing the break up talk: "No, it's okay with me that you want to get together with your ex, I'm so cool with that, REALLY, she is just great!" 

Claire's attempts to kiss Tristan were, luckily, unsuccessfull, as he turned his face away and gently pushed her away. She looked mildly confused. Alice saw that Tristan was saying something, looking extremely excited, while Claire's blue eyes widened and her expression derailed to total shock. They talked a bit, but it was too far away and too noisy to hear what they were saying. Eventually, Claire slapped Tristan right in the face (prompting the audience to make "ohhhh" and "oh snap" comments) and ran from the field with tears already covering her face. Tristan looked after her in confusion and moved to follow her, but one of his teammates stopped him. It was probably better that way. 

Alice could not concentrate on the game that followed, she was too occupied with processing what just happened. Sure, she was absolutely positive that a man that had lived that long had been with a lot of women, who were typical for the lore all on the level of supermodels, but seeing one of them in all her perfection was a whole other thing, she couldn't just push this away. It was suddenly so real. Tristan was periodically looking over to her, smiling and waving when he made a point or whatever it is they were counting and Alice did her best to look relaxed and wave back, but the anxiety was growing to an uncomfortable amount. Her head was putting together scenes of Tristan and his ex-fey, where they where kissing, partying, having fun. Making love. They looked so damn perfect in her imagination. Maybe this was a mistake, after all. What could she give him? A lot of insecurities, a subpar body and social awkwardness. She would be a drag all of his live, making him feel down, needing his help every step of the way. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She decided to get up and walk around a bit, get away and maybe think of something else. After pushing through the crowd to the back it was much easier to breath. There was almost no one on the edge of the meadow which was calming. She didn't even walk five minutes away from the commodion when she heard soft sobs coming from a line of trees. At least she wasn't the only one not having a good time. She followed the sound and found a gold-locked fey girl sitting on a log and crying her heart out - it was Claire. She looked up with puffy eyes and red cheeks wet with tears, it was hard not to feel bad for her, so Alice decided to be the selfless girl and comfort her man's sexy ex. 

"Hi, I heard you cry. Can I do something? Do you need help?", she asked the crying girl. 

"No one can help me now", Claire said melodramatically and resumed crying. 

Pretenting not to know what had gone down, Alice asked: "What happened? If you want to say, that is. It often helps just to talk about it, you know." 

Claire contemplated this for a moment and patted the log next to her for Alice to sit down. 

"Oh, it's just that the Lykae I was seeing suddenly decided to find his mate - and he broke up with me. Can you believe that? We were seeing each other for years, you know, like a couple? And now, boom, it's over.", her last words were slurred and she broke into tears again, sobbing uncontrollably now. 

Alice felt a little helpless what to say, because even she knew that it was pretty senseless to try and date a species with a concept of eternal matehood. You couldn't just become a mate by working on the relationship, it either happened instantly or not at all. But that wouldn't help now, so socially impaired Alice decided to pat Claires back but held back a "there, there". 

"Uhm, I don't think he meant to hurt you. It's just something that happens and he has no control over it", Alice tried to comfort her as nicely as possible. 

"But it was real! I felt it, clearly! We belong together, we are so like each other. I- I can't understand how I am not his ideal mate, we are perfect for each other. He even said so...", Claire explained in an agitated tone. "He said that he didn't care about finding his mate because I made him so happy. Why would he say that and now just dump me?", she said. 

"Yeah, why indeed...", Alice said, now facing a new wave of anxiety herself. Did he really say that? Did he mean it? Was their mating just an unfortunate incident after all and he, being a nice guy, just tried his best to make it work? Fuck. 

"That sucks...",was all Alice could say. 

"I just know that if I had a chance to become his mate, everything would work out. I mean I even heard that is mate is weird and doesn't really have anything in common with him", Claire said. "I mean....who even decides who is mated to whom, it's just random. And all of them have no say in that, they have to adore their mates, right? So even if he really wanted me, he wouldn't even know, right?", Claire looked at Alice searching for approval. 

"Right", Alice conceded. "I really get what you're saying." She had had these thoughts herself, what if he was actually miserable with her and some cosmic force just made him think he was happy? Alice's head spun. She looked at the ethereal beauty next to her and down on her own sausage fingered hands. Even crying her eyes out, Claire looked perfectly beautiful in a vulnerable kind of way. Alice didn't know the first thing about her except that Tristan had really liked her before, so she couldn't help but think that she was a good person. 

A plan began to form in Alice's head, everything seemed to fall into place: She wanted Tristan to be happy, really, genuinely happy. And she was sure that she wasn't up to the task and he couldn't get away. She had already found the spell that could change his bond - and in front of her was the missing pice for his happiness. If she could just change who is mate was from herself to Claire - she would make two people very, very happy. This was what was supposed to happen. But how to go about this?

"Uhm, so the problem is just who he sees as his mate, right?" Alice said. Blue, teary eyes looked at her. "Uh-hu", Claire sobbed. 

"Suppose it could be changed, would you want to do that?", Alice asked. 

Claires eyes began to sparkle: "Yes, yes, that would be it! Can you do that? Are you like a fairy godmother or something?" Claire looked Alice up and down. "Well you look like one, so motherly, like in the movies!" 

It seemed to Alice like Claire didn't mean that in a bad way - so she couldn't be mad for the comment, even though it stung a bit. 

"Bibbidi babbidi bu!", Alice said while swinging an imaginary wand, Claire chuckled a little. She was very cute like that, damn it! 

The mood was lighter now, so it would be time to say the most difficult thing of the whole affair: "Uhm, but seriously, fairy godmother doesn't quite catch it. I, uhm, well- I'm his mate", Alice said apologetically. 

Claire looked befuddled. "Is this supposed to be funny? What? _You?_ The mate of Tristan?" 

"This is not a joke. Listen, just a few days ago we met at a gathering and he...kind of sensed that I am his mate. He told me. I know how strange this must sound...I mean, it does to me, too. I know we don't really fit together. He is so...outgoing and cool and fun and handsome, and I am....well, not like that. It is just as unbelievable and wrong to me as it must seem to you.", said Alice. 

Claire just stared with her mouth open, so Alice continued: "I don't really know him, but he seems like a great guy that deserves to be happy. I really like him, he is just so....whatever, I want him to be as happy as possible and I think you can make him way happier than I ever could. The plan goes like this: I am a witch, I found a spell that could change his instinct to recognize you as his mate instead of me, he will be goddamn happy forever, end of story. Sound good?" Alice felt like a car salesman. She waited for any kind of reaction. Claire still stared in disbelive, moving her mouth without actually startin to pronounce any words. She seemed to think hard for a moment and said: "Wait a minute...why would you do that? He is like the great prize for, pardon me, someone like you. Why would you give him up? You don't exactly look like you sleep around much.". She looked Alice up and down: an overweight woman in a blue blouse, jeans and sneakers. 

_What a bitchy brat!_ , Alice thought. What she said however was: "Well, I am selfless person and I want him to be happy. Take it or leave it. I am sure I can find another fitting mate for him."

"No, don't! I'll take it!", Claire suddenly begged. "I didn't mean it, I just...It seems so shady...First he tells me out of the blue that we're done forever and now you tell me that you are his mate and are willing to do magic to mate us?", she said disbelievingly. "And how much will it cost me anyway?" 

"A hair.", Alice stated.

"What the fuck?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I need a hair of yours to tell the potion who his new mate is supposed to be."

Claire grasped her long blond locks defensively. "Just one?" 

"Yeah, just one" 

"And you won't use it to curse me away forever?"

"I vow to the lore that I will use your hair only to make you Tristan's mate. Happy now?" 

Clarie's face lit up like a sunrise, all the tears forgotten. 

"I...I don't know what to say. Uhm ouch!", she ripped at a strang of hair and handed it to Alice. 

"You are absolutely sure that this will work?", Claire asked. 

"I don't give guarantees, it's unprofessional. But I am confident that this will work, it's been done before.", Alice said, rolling up the strand of golden Hair and putting it in her breast pocket. This was it - she promised to end this short, rollercoaster episode of her life. 

Claire looked eager: "So, what now? Can I help?" 

"No, not really. You already did everything I need you to. After he drinks the potion you will just have to meet him again, simple as that. I guess I'll call you when it's time?", said Alice and gave Claire her phone, who typed her name and number in with nimble fingers. She was quick at this. Her face was showing pure bliss now, her cheeks were rosy again and she was biting her lower lip in the most adorable way. Suddenly, classic music played from Claires pocked. She took her own cell phone into her other hand and stated "And now I have your number, too!", and smiled charmingly. Alice took her phone back and was sure that this was the right decision. She may be kind of entitled, but she seemed well-meaning, was beautiful beyond comprehension and extroverted. They would be happy and have a lot of beautiful halfling children. Still, it stung to think about giving him up. But she would wear that pain with pride. It was the right thing to do.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice felt like a conspirator. She waited until Claire left, who was almost hopping away like a bunny in excitement, and than went back to the field herself. So, now she would try to keep her perfect Lykae mate at arm's length because she didn't want to a) fall even deeper in love with him and b) do stuff with a guy that was practically already in a relationship with someone else, even if he didn't know yet. It was for the best. So what now? She just had to figure out the potion as fast as possible, give it to him, call Claire, feel selfless and bath in her own self loafing for the rest of time. Sounded like a solid plan. She just scooped a whole new load of surreal onto her already pretty hard to grasp situation. She went back to the game, which would probably still take some time and sat there, lost in thought. She guessed it was useless to make friends with his friends, now since she wouldn't see them anymore, either. So she kept to herself, trying to occupy her thoughts with the specifics of the potion. The scrolls didn't exactly give precise instructions in most cases, it was more of a general idea of what the potion needed. She would have to look up ingredients, how they could be combined, what their effects were according to every source...But if she kept working on it she could probably do it within a week, tops. 

After what felt like hours, the game finally ended. The teams were now bloodied, full of mud and half drunk - _When did that happen?,_ Alice asked herself. Did they hit each other with whiskey shots? Than again, she didn't really pay attention. The divide in players and spectators vanished and everyone mingled freely now. Tristan jogged towards Alice with a wide smile. His clothes were torn and dirty and he looked like the men in the firefighter calender, she couldn't help but grin at him. She was still sitting on the bench and he swiftly bent down to kiss her, she moved her head down a little so that his kiss went on her forehead instead of her lips. _Remember Alice, he's not yours anymore. You promised him a better life with someone else. Keep your hands to yourself,_ she thought. 

"Oh-kay", he said, sitting down. His shirt hang in rags from his torso and he simply ripped it off, earning a few admiring gasps from the people around them. "Well, guess that has done its duty, right?", he said jokingly. He looked over: "Is something the matter? Ally?" 

"Ally?", Alice asked. "Since when?" 

He shrugged: "I just wanted to give you a nickname, it's what couples do, you know?" He was offensively charming, damn it. 

"Uhm, okay. Why not.", Alice said. It was really hard to built distance when he was acting like that. 

"Is everything okay? Did I do something?", he asked, concerned. "Do you want me to shower? I am sorry, I must look like a mess", he said and defensively clutched the rests of his shirt in front of his torso. "Let's go home, I'll change.", he offered. Alice saw that the the party was only starting, there were kegs of beer, ale and probably whiskey opened and music was blaring. She knew him well enough that he would probably just want to stay. "It's okay, really. It's nothing, I'm just still a little hung over, tired, everything, I'll just take a taxi and call it a day. I would just be a drag anyway.", she said in the most casual tone she could manage and moved to go. 

"What? No!",Tristan grabbed her arm and held her back. He was probably being very gentle with her but she still felt that his grip was tighter than iron. It didn't hurt, but she had also no way of moving. "Come on, I tried to give you space. But it is really, really hard for me to leave you alone all day. And now you want to leave me again?", he sounded seriously strained. "It's just not my nature to be away from you, you know? I know witches don't mates that and this must be hard for you, too. But I just found you and I just need to be with you.", he held her hands in his and looked directly into her eyes. He was dead serious. 

Alice tried to sound casual: "I like you, too and I like to spend time with you. But it's just one evening. You can have fun here and I can relax at home, okay?" 

He shook his head. "I can't concentrate on that now. You are right, it's just one evening, I can always go to another party, was at so many already. I'd rather be with you than here. Come on, let's go." , he got up, still holding her hand and went directly to his car, saying goodbye to his friends in passing. He lead her through the crowd quickly and she could barely keep up. They passed Claire and her girlfriends, Tristan just gave er the same goodbye as everyone else, not even really noticing her, and Alice looked at her apologetically. Claire looked heartbroken after them. _I hope she understands!_ , Alice thought. Poor girl. 

Tristan seemed tense as they got into the car. He sat down in the driver's seat, but didn't start the engine, he just sat there and sighed. 

Alice felt uncomfortable, what now? 

"What's bothering you?", she asked cauteously. 

"I...it's just...I mean..." he seemed at a loss for words. He looked lost, it broke Alice's heart to see him like that and know that she was the reason for his pain. But what should she do? In her head, he was basically already Claire's mate, not really hers, but he also needed her comfort right now. 

"No, I'm sorry. This whole thing is just too much for me. What would you like me to do?", she asked dutifully. 

"Well, there is a number of things", he said with an unmistakingly sexual undertone, but seemed to restrain himself when he saw her less than excited expression. "But that's not exactly what you want, am I right? You really are different than any girl I met before. How about I take you to a place that's really special to me? I will not pressure you to do anything, I promise. We could just talk? And cuddle? How does that sound?"

 _Fucking great_ , she thought. Too great. How was she supposed to keep her distance, to keep her emotions in check? It would hurt like hell when she lost him. _And you deserve it!,_ her ghastly inner voice answered. 

"Sounds great", she said, feeling a knot in her stomach. His face lit up with joy and eagerness and he started the car. "Great, let's swing by my place and I get cleaned up and get some things. It won't take long." 

He was surprisingly fast, that was for sure. He showered, got dressed and backed a small backpack in under 10 minute, Alice wasn't even finished looking through one of his bookshelves. They got back in the car and drove out of the city. "Where are we going?", she asked. "Surprise, you're going to love it", he said eagerly and took her hand. They drove up a small hill in the middle of nowhere, it was already dark and Alice saw next to nothing outside the window. They parked in an empty parking lot somewhere near some woods and got out. "And now?", Alice asked, because she really couldn't see anything special. He carried a backpack with "a few things" on his back. 

"Just a short hike. I'll take you!", he said, already picking Alice up like it was nothing. "Woah, what?", she screamed as he began to run - fast. She knew that practically all Loreans except for a few like the witches or sorceri where ultra strong and fast, but this was still surprising. He carried her - no lightweight at all - like she was a kitten and ran up a hill at the speed of a car. Without even breathing harder. At this pace, it took maybe a few minutes until they reached a clearing near the top of the small hill where he set her down. He took blankets and a bottle of wine out of the backpack and began to set everything up, like a picknick. The clearing was dark and peacefull. Alice could hear and smell a stream of some sort nearby. Tristan lay down on one of the blankets and patted the space next to him. "Come here."

She lied down next to him and he put his arm around her. She looked up at the sky and saw stars - so many of them. She gasped in surprise, Tristan chuckled. The night sky was filled with thousands of stars, she could make out the milky way and even a few constellations. It was beautiful and hypnotic. She felt like she could stare up for eternity, get lost in it. It is one thing to know that there are a lot of stars up there - and another to actually see the real thing. 

"You like it?", he whispered. 

"Yeah, it's beautiful", Alice said. 

"When I was born there were no strong lights to illuminate the night. I could see the stars from my window and I miss it. So I searched and found this place. I go here often when I want to relax and just think. And until now, I kept it to myself.", he sounded different from usual, calm and thoughtful. "What would a sunny boy like you have to think about", she teased. "Oh, many things, you wouldn't believe", he said jovially. "Like shopping, hair gel or what to cook for dinner!", he joked and both of them chuckled. 

It was relaxing to simply laugh like that together, even if they were getting closer than Alice had originally deemed reasonable. He was embracing her now and her head rested on his chest, it felt comfortable and warm and safe, it was nice. 

"Seriously though, sometimes I need to be alone and I look up at the night sky and pretent that it's 200 years ago and I am still in Scotland.", he said. 

"Do you miss it so much?" Alice wondered. It seemed like he was well adjusted and enjoying himself a lot in the here and now.

"Sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I like it here. But there are moments when I just want things to be...more grounded, I guess. It wasn't a better time, I don't want to be one of those guys, but it was more....mysterious, I guess? Or I'm just idealizing my childhood here, one of those things.", he laughed and drew Alice closer. 

Alice could hear the sound of water and insects, like a calming acoustic scene. She heard the rustling of leaves and Tristan's calm breaths on her side. For once in a long time, she felt not quite so alone, and it was good. 


	11. Chapter 11

They stayed at the clearing until morning, they didn't talk all that much, for the most time they just were silent together, just _being._ It was strange for Alice that they didn't have to fill up the silence with endless talk about favorite shows, books or their feelings. It was deeply relaxing when it was just enough for the other to exist. His adoring looks were bittersweet: Alice loved to soak up all the love he gave her, while at same time it pained her to know that this was not going to last. She had to go back to her lonely, loveless life soon, with no one to find her beautiful. Ever again. When he kissed her goodbye at her door she almost cried. How often would they be together until she set him free? That depended on how fast she worked. She was tempted to work as slowly as possible - or- woopsie! not coming up with a potion at all. But when she undressed, a blonde lock of hair fell out of her breast pocket, reminding her that she had promised Claire to do this. And she was perfect - in every way. Claire looked at herself in the mirror: a fat woman, that wasn't exactly young anymore. No one could find her attractive, she wasn't exactly what people called a curvy beauty. She was simply bloated, covered in flabby lumps of lard. It was her fault she looked like that, but she was helpless to change it. Whatever it was - personal weakness, diet culture, bad metabolism - she couldn't change that anymore. She was an immortal now and her body will just stay this unsightly mess forever. And poor Tristan will have to be chained to her if she didn't do anything about it. 

With renewed resolve she got back to work. Researching the exact composition of the potion was time consuming and difficult, since it seemed that no one had really used that spell in a long, long time. She guessed that the whole mate-thing was a bit too eternal for most girls. Thinking of that - she hadn't checked her cell phone in ages, she wondered if Claire had already contacted her. 

She did - in messages of escalating intensity. 

_Hey, saw both of you leave earlier, where are you?_

_..._

_This is Claire, by the way!_

_..._

_What's happening?_

...

_Where are you two? What are you doing?_

_..._

_don't bail now, you promised_

_..._

_call me_

_..._

_please_

Alice sighed - poor Claire must be worried. She answered: "Don't Worry, nothing happened. I am working on it" 

And she did, as hard as she could. 


End file.
